"Does TV help or harm a village?" Top 5 Page for this destination Goathland by Britannia2

Goathland Travel Guide: 36 reviews and 80 photos

Goathland Post Office 2006 sign.

Goathland - a victim of a popular TV programme

UK readers and readers from 38 other countries worldwide will know that the popular Heartbeat TV programme is filmed in Goathland. The last time I was here in 1986 it was a pleasant village with a few tourists about but its May 2006 and we can hardly move. There are people here from all over the world and its only May! What will the high summer be like? Parking is difficult, the shops and cafes are crowded and everyone is asking the local shop keepers news of the next series which was recently filmed here.
But don't be put off - my introduction sounds harsh but do visit. This is still a wonderful village and if you are local then visit out of season and leave it to people who can only come here in the summer. After all this really is a village that can be appreciated at anytime of the year.
Aidensfield, sorry Goathland, has certainly changed in 20 years. There is certainly more to see than there ever used to be and the number of places to eat is improved. Souveniers from the TV series are certainly good value for once as are the prices of most things in the shops- many local people have no doubt profited from Heartbeat but al least they are not cheating visitors.

A village with a double identity.

Goathland and Aidensfield Post Office

For those who do not know Goathalnd is called Aidensfield in Heartbeat. This is the story of local people based around the local police officers and is set in what is eternally 1969. There are steam trains, bobbies on bikes, smoking allowed everywhere and anywhere and its nostalgia for an hour every Sunday night. I have never been sure how it translates to the 38 countries that buy it for their TV services but judging by Goathalnds visitors on a May visit they were from all over the world and here for the world of Heartbeat.
As the photo shows this must be the only post office in the UK with two names - Goathland and Aidensfield.

Crowds

Taking photos can be difficult!

Our visit was on a warm May Tuesday afternoon in the May school holiday. Taking photos was difficult because of the crowds and as my photo here shows there was no respect for those of us taking photos. Now of course we were part of the crowd and perhaps I got in someones way - I must stress - try and visit out of season if you can.

Pros and Cons

Pros:Beautiful village with a lot to see
Cons:Ruined by excessive crowds. Perhaps some control is needed?
In a nutshell:Do not miss this wonderful village - but do go out of season.

Last visit to Goathland: May 2006
Intro Updated Jun 1, 2006
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Reviews (9)

North Yorkshire Moors Railway Things to Do (5)

The World War 2 weekend is only one of the many events staged on the MYMR over the year. The NYMR is the best way to see... more travel advice

The barn conversion we stayed in - Goathland

High quality self catering accomodation Hotels (1)

We stayed in a barn conversion in the Millinder House complex. We had a ground floor apartment that had a combined... more travel advice

World War 2 weekend Things to Do (5)

Mid October every year sees a wonderful weekend of nostalgia when the North Yorkshire Moors railway has a World War 2... more travel advice

The new police station for Heartbeat - Goathland

The new Police station Things to Do (5)

Here is a little advance piece of gossip for the next 2006 series of Heartbeat! The doctors house ( shown below) becomes... more travel advice

Warnings and Dangers (1)
Not wheelchair or push chair friendly
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Comments (4)

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balhannah May 14, 2010 at 8:47 PM

Enjoyed my tour, and your photo's. I quite enjoy watching Heartbeat, and seeing the pretty countryside, looks like a nice area.
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TheWanderingCamel Jan 17, 2009 at 6:49 AM

A good while since we stayed in Goathland - they were filming Heartbeat and Greengrass was holding forth in the bar of the hotel we stayed in - how long ago would that make it?! No crowds back then, just a pretty village getting on with life.
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Ekaterinburg Dec 26, 2007 at 5:19 AM

Lovely page Colin, with concise but informative tips. I'm a huge heartbeat fan and drove through the village once on the bus from York to Whitby. I didn't want to get out though and shatter my illusions :))
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Sjalen Jun 28, 2006 at 1:06 AM

Good job my first visit was in 1989 - I remember more visitors in 1996 already. Heartbeat is a great success in both Sweden and Denmark although Swedes are worse educated on the general Yorkshire-Scando link. I do my best to amend! :)))